


Shatter Me [You Make Me Feel Alive]

by DeathLife97



Category: DC Animated Universe, Justice League Dark (Comics)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, F/M, Magic, Past Relationship(s), Rekindled Romance, Romance, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-04
Updated: 2017-06-04
Packaged: 2018-11-07 21:27:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11067474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeathLife97/pseuds/DeathLife97
Summary: Instead of finding Zatanna, Bruce contacts an old friend to find Constantine: Fire, the half-mortal, half-demon writer. Though hesitant to seek out her former lover, Fire does so because unlike many of her kind, she does care for all of humanity. Especially one particular human...





	Shatter Me [You Make Me Feel Alive]

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, so in my opinion, there isn’t enough John/OC fics. I mean, if there’s one of him fucking Elmo, why isn’t there a few with an original character? (Don’t believe me? [Lose your mind with me.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5620060)) So, I decided to write one, since I love the JLD film. Title from [“Shatter Me”](https://youtu.be/49tpIMDy9BE) by Lindsey Stirling ft. Lzzy Hale.
> 
> Here’s a link to a [collage](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=222559036) I made, so you can get a better idea of what Fire is wearing during the story.

Dark red lips smiled and silver eyes gleamed at seeing a single black rose sitting next to her computer. She had just taken a break from writing her new novel, having just finished eating when she saw the flower. Bringing it to her nose, she wasn’t surprised to find the heady aroma of one of nature’s beautiful gifts. “Thanks for the rose, Bruce,” she told the figure standing right behind her. It never surprised her when the Dark Knight decided to grace her with his presence. “How have you been?” she asked.

“I’m fine, Fire,” Bruce said, finally stepping out of the shadows. If it wasn’t for the fact that Fire had known Bruce for a number of years now, she would be very annoyed at the way his mouth was pursed. “Busy. Very busy. I need to know how to find John Constantine.”

Fire’s face fell as she looked down at her rose.  _ John... _ “I’m sorry, Bruce, but I can’t help you,” she sighed, turning her back to him as she took a seat in front of her laptop.

Bruce stepped closer until he placed a gauntlet-covered hand on her shoulder. “Surely you must know a way of contacting him.”

The half-demon leaned back into the comforting touch. “I haven’t spoken to him in six years, Bruce. I just couldn’t handle the thought of―” Fire cut herself off when she felt another’s presence in the room. Before she could say anything, Bruce gasped then stilled. He looked down at his hand in interest. Fire sighed. “You didn’t need to do that, Boston.”

“I know, but Batman  _ really _ needs to talk to John, and he could use your help,” Boston Brand said. He groaned. “Boy, this guy’s mind is tough.” He clenched on Fire’s shoulder as he was expelled from Bruce’s body. 

Bruce shuddered as he regained control over his body, releasing his hold on Fire. “What. Is. Going. On?” he asked, enunciating each word.

Fire laughed. “I’ll explain in a minute. Let me go get dressed,” she said, gesturing to the ratty t-shirt and sweatpants she was wearing. “And Boston? You follow me, and I can  _ guarantee _ you’ll feel my wrath as if you were still alive.” She gave the spirit a shit-eating grin before sauntering to the entryway and up the stairs to her bedroom. She returned ten minutes later dressed in a camo-print crop top, dark jean shorts, and black combat boots. Fire knew time was of the essence, so she decided to forgo the fight with her wild red hair, opting to let it hang down to her shoulder blades. She felt Bruce eyeing the tattoo barely visible above her combat boot. “My father’s mark. Let’s other demons know not to mess with me unless they want me to kick their ass,” Fire explained, grabbing her well-loved leather jacket just in case. “C’mon, I’ll take you to John.”

Bruce exited the house, Boston not far behind. “Ok, but I call shotgun!”

* * *

Needless to say, Boston did not get shotgun.

In fact, he grumbled about not being shotgun as Bruce drove the Batmobile through the side roads of Pittsburgh. “I don’t think even his kid could fit back here!”

Fire shrugged. “Sorry Boston, but life tends to be for the living, not the dead. No offense.”

“None taken,” Boston said good-naturedly.

Bruce looked at Fire from the corner of his eye before returning his main focus to the road ahead. “Boston Brand. He was a circus performer.”

“Batman’s heard a’me?! Sweet! Tell him I’m a fan of his too, but, be cool about it,” Boston told Fire.

The hybrid rolled her eyes at her spirit friend. “I’m not a translator, Boston,” she chided.

“What did he say?” Bruce asked.

“Nothing,” Fire answered quickly.

Boston pouted. “Ask him if he caught one of my shows.”

Fire rolled her eyes once more. “So you know his story? Womanizing trapeze artist who found himself taking a dirt nap earlier than expected? Only it wasn’t an accident...” she trailed off, afraid to hurt Boston’s feelings. Unlike the many hybrids before her, Fire’s humanity was much stronger than her demonic instincts... most of the time. “His spirit now wanders the earth, seeking revenge against his killer, and others who have been wrongfully hurt. He can thank the goddess Rama Kushna for his immortality. One of the few women he didn’t try and woo,” Fire ended with a laugh.

“And I don’t wanna brag, but I’m  _ good _ ,” Boston said, cocky as ever.

“Whatever you say, Boston,” Fire tells him, patting through his shoulder patronizingly.

“Why did he feel the need to write on my walls like a child?” Bruce interrupted before Boston could reply to Fire’s comment.

“Uh, yeah, he’s completely sorry about that. And I’m more than willing to fix the damage once I get you to John,” Fire told her friend. 

Bruce only grumbled in response. “Where is this address? The GPS doesn’t seem especially useful tonight,” he questioned, nodding towards the GPS. The only direction that was on the screen was a glowing ball that moved near-opposite them. 

Fire’s shoulder shook as she chuckled. “It’s not an address, little bat. The House of Mystery has a serious case of wanderlust. It never tends to stay in one place too long. Don’t worry about finding it.  _ It _ will come to us.” Relaxing back into the seat, Fire finally pulled out her favorite accessory from her pocket. It was a piece of the Hope Diamond, surrounded by smaller white diamonds. John’s gift to her for their first anniversary. It was one of the many things Fire couldn’t bare to let go from her lover. She put it on, admiring the way the dark indigo was accentuated by her pale skin. She didn’t get to relax long before storm clouds rolled over the clear sky, quickly turning into a hazardous cyclone heading straight for the BatMobile. Bruce swerved out of the way as a pine tree nearly hit them.  _ How ironic _ , Fire thought with a dark chuckle. The cyclone continued to stay in front of them, seemingly hurtling more trees and boulders at them, all of which Bruce narrowly managed to avoid. Fire wasn’t really worried, unlike Boston. She knew how keen Bruce’s reflexes were for an ordinary human. It wasn’t until a tree nearly landed on them that Fire decided to intervene. “Mit dir weg!” she shouted, obliterating the tree. 

It did not stop the force of nature, simply picking them up with a sadistic look on its now-corporeal face. The BatMobile was lifted from the ground, trees and other debris pummeling the car. Bruce tried to gain control, but it was no use. This was chaos magic, and there was no way to stop it until whoever casted the spell decided to reverse it. Thinking on her feet, Fire yelled out the first words to come to mind: “Hilf uns Vater!” Gold light encased the car, shielding them from the worst of the barrage. This gave them an advantage, allowing Bruce to use the rockets to push them out of the center of the cyclone, somehow hitting the ground properly. Though they grunted on impact (Boston included), Bruce nor Fire seemed to have suffered any serious damage, minus being really pissed off at whoever decided to sic a cyclone on them. It continued to close in on them, despite Bruce’s dangerously-high speed turns. 

Fire felt a familiar tug on her heart, one she had not felt for over half a decade. She looked ahead, seeing the House of Mystery materialize about half a mile from them. “Over there. Quickly!” she said, pointing ahead. Bruce nodded, somehow managing to go even faster towards the house. 

The BatMobile skidded to a halt, all of them jumping out immediately. All that mattered was getting to the safety of the house. John was there, opening the door. “Into the house!”  _ As if we needed an invitation _ , Fire determined. She had allowed Bruce and Boston to get ahead of her, knowing she had a better chance for survival should the cyclone suck any of them away. After Fire was safely inside, John slammed the door shut and quickly moved away from the front entrance. Fire felt the house dissipate from this plane, wincing as she also felt the BatMobile being crushed as if it were aluminum foil. All of them were panting, John bracing Fire against the wall. “Fire, are you alright?” John asked her, genuine concern in his voice and cobalt eyes. 

Fire nodded, still catching her breath from her latest near-death experience. No matter how many times she came close to dying, the rush of adrenaline never truly left her. “I will be,” she said with a smirk, one which John returned easily. She looked at Bruce, who had just stood up from his position on the floor. “Sorry ‘bout the BatMobile. Guess that’s another thing I have to fix later, huh?” Fire joked with a larger grin directed at her little bat. Bruce just grumbled again, causing Fire to chuckle under her breath. 

“I should have known you were the reason I’m not back in London enjoying a pint,” John said, taking Fire’s hand to pull her away from the wall. “The House always did like you better,” he protested, though there was no heat behind the latter. 

“What can I say? It has good taste,” Fire responded easily enough, despite her racing heart. John still looked the same, even after all these years. Same scruff, same piercing eyes, same pine and cigarette smell. It was as if six years hadn’t come and gone. 

John smirked, as if he could hear her heart. He side-eyed Bruce. “Odd trio for a road trip,” he noted. “To what do I owe the visit?”

“The League thinks that a recent spike in homicides may have a magical cause,” Bruce said, straight to the point as usual.

John didn’t say anything for a minute. Then he sighed before leading them to the main communal room. Fire has missed this place, with it’s multitude of book and magical artifacts. Boston had floated ahead of them, looking at the abnormally-large fireplace before turning around to look at John. “Told you somethin’ stinks,” the apparition said to John, “but now we know someone doesn’t want us askin’ questions.”

“Look like you’ve cracked it wide open, mate,” John said sarcastically. Fire snorted, taking her old seat next to the fire. She had so many fond memories in that chair alone, night spent cuddling with John in front of the open fire dancing in front of her eyes. 

“What did he say?” Bruce asked.

“Nuh uh,” John objected, “I’m not playing telephone between you two.  _ Macito celume kesaurus _ .” He looked at Fire. “Why didn’t you do that sooner?” he asked her.

Fire shrugged. “You should know better, John. I like being needed.”

Before John could open his mouth, Boston (thankfully) interrupted. “We online?” Since Bruce was looking directly at him, Fire nodded mutely. “Sweet.” He floated over to Bruce, the Dark Knight tracking his every move. “Sorry ‘bout the BatMobile. Hope your insurance was paid up” He chuckled. “What, is there even a policy for something like that?” Bruce’s only response was a growl. Fire rolled her eyes at Bruce, already knowing she would be spending most of tomorrow finding and repairing the damaged car. 

John suddenly jumped, causing Fire to flinch. Standing next to the con artist was a being that looked as delicate as a flower, but as strong as it’s thorns. “Hey, I told you not to do that, Orchid. Use a bloody door,” he scolded the newcomer.

Orchid didn’t even bat an eye. “I am glad to see you are well,” she said, looking at Fire. Though Fire felt weird about a stranger talking to her, she also felt as if she knew Orchid. Perhaps it was her soothing yet monotonous voice. Like Siri, but much better.

“Woah,” Boston said, floating over to Fire’s side, staring at the purple woman.  _ Oh boy _ , Fire thought. 

“Not what you think,” John said. “It’s the magic of the house. It decided it wanted to experience humanity and gave itself a body,” he explained as Orchid walked over to Boston. 

“It sure did,” Boston said, still awe-struck. 

Orchid grabbed Boston’s hand, lifting it so their palms were mirrored. “A spirit whose existence is not its own. Like myself. Interesting.”

Fire was surprised that for once in his lives, Boston seemed near-speechless. “Uh, yeah, that,” was all he could say. 

“Dead smooth you are, mate,” John complimented, giving the ghost a thumbs-up for effort as he sat down in the seat opposite from Fire.

Orchid ignored them, walking until she was standing in front of Fire. She stared at the hybrid while Fire stared back, taking note of the intricate swirls covering her body. “You are unlike any creature I have seen in these walls before now,” Orchid said. “Though your soul should be corrupted because of your lineage, you still have a light inside you that many strive for.” 

Fire shrugged. “Blame my very proud German mother for that one. Refuses to let me join her and Father until I’ve lived long enough,” she joked. 

Orchid continued. “You are miserable because of John. Yet, you still love him,” she noted, looking back to the British man. John looked up, hope clear in his expression as he stared at Fire as if they had never parted. 

Fire didn’t say anything for a moment, choosing her words carefully. “You’ll come to understand that, with mortality, comes a barrage of emotions, many of which you have no control over. One of them is love. There’s a saying among humans: if you love someone, let them go. If they return to you, it was meant to be. If they don’t, then they never truly loved you to begin with.”

Orchid nodded, taking in those words of wisdom before turning away from her. Fire’s eyes met John’s, her longing mirrored on his face. She couldn’t bear to see something that she could so easily have, choosing to track Orchid’s movements instead. “You exude pain,” Orchid continues, looking at Bruce. “Your life is a patchwork of blackness with no time for joy. How do you cope with it?”

Bruce, whose back had been to everyone, turned to answer. “I have a butler.”

Fire snorted, cracking up. “That reminds me, tell him he owes me some good food if he wants my homemade chocolate.” Bruce nodded his head minutely, with only trained eyes being able to detect the movement.

Orchid said nothing, only nodding. John cleared his throat, finally looking away from Fire. “That was enlightening.” John stood up, conjuring a whiskey bottle and two glasses. “We, I guess we should have that chin-wag about now?”

* * *

John stood before a yellow circle that showed the memories of those who had seen the alleged demons. Their screams and cries for help nearly made Fire’s ears bleed. Unlike the rest of her kind, she felt sorrow for humanity. It wasn’t there fault that they had a strict moral code to uphold. Bruce stiffened when he saw the woman ready to throw her baby from the skyscraper. Fire grabbed his pinky with her pointer finger, giving it a gentle squeeze. “You can’t save everyone. We know that better than anyone else,” she told him. Bruce didn’t acknowledge her words, still staring at the images flashing before them. John closes them out after the woman says ‘devil’. 

“Rama Kushna says this will break down the walls between planes,” Boston tells them once John’s spell is finished. “Even the afterlife will be affected."

“Yeah, it’s dodgy all right. I’ll look into it. Meanwhile, the House will drop you wherever you’d like,” John says as he walks away. 

Boston floats over in front of the occult detective, stopping him for a moment. “Woah, woah, woah. Rama says we have to work together. C’mon, it’s a dream team! You, me, Fire, Batman, maybe even the Justice League.”

“The capes and tights crew?” John questions, thumbing at Bruce. “Useless against dark magic.” He placed his hand on his hips, in a way Fire knew would make it difficult to make him budge.

“That’s why we need you,” Boston replies, gesturing to the man in front of him. “You can lead us.”

“Boston, do I strike you as a team player? Much less a team leader? Point is, even deities can get it wrong. It’s how we got the appendix, neanderthals, and reality TV.” John turned back to the other two, eyes boring into Fire. “Your help I could use, Fire.”

Fire tapped a finger to her mouth, pretending to consider his words. While John was forced to always think quickly, Fire had been raised to slow down and appreciate your surroundings. “I’m down,” she said, standing, “but only if we do it together. You want me? You get them too.” She mirrored John’s earlier position, the hands on her hips signifying that if he didn’t agree, she wouldn’t help him.

John sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face. “You’re impossible sometimes, love,” he mumbled, so quietly that even Fire’s demonic hearing nearly didn’t pick it up. But it did, and that nearly made her blush. “Fine and dandy. But don’t say I didn’t warn you,” he said, once more pointing at Bruce. 

“He’s dead, and I accept the risks. We cannot waste any more time,” Bruce told him.

“Then let’s take a walk on the dark side,” John said, leading them to a door. 

Fire breathed out a sigh of relief. “So glad you agreed with me. Didn’t need a repeat of the bonobo incident,” she teased John as she caught up to him. 

John groaned. “Not this again. When are you going to let that go?!”

“Never, obviously,” Fire said with an easy smile. This, this she had missed the most. The easy conversation with someone who accepted you for everything you were, demoness and all. “It was too funny  _ not _ to forget. I mean, you managed to piss off one of the calmest species of monkeys on this planet. One would think you were trying to rile up a hellhound.”

“Yeah, well, at least hellhound won’t try to hump my head like I’m a plush toy,” John complained, rubbing the back of his head in memory.

“It isn’t their fault they evolved into a ‘make love, not war’ mindset.  _ You _ should have been more careful.”

“Me?!  _ They _ should have known better than to mess with someone bigger than them!”

“ _ You _ should have known better than to mess with a species whose teeth can rip out your entrails and use them as a jump rope."

“Do you two need a timeout?” Bruce interrupted before John could speak.

Fire stopped at the door, turning around. “Fine, little bat. I’ll just tease him later.” Sticking out her tongue at the Dark Knight, she opened a door which lead to a hallway. Fire bowed, looking at John. “Humans first.”

* * *

“Can you slow down for five seconds and tell us where we’re going?” Fire asks as she, Bruce and Boston try to keep up with John as he lead them down a dark street somewhere in Brooklyn. 

“Ritchie’s,” John simply says.

“John... have you talked to him lately?” Fire asks, already knowing the answer.

“I know he’s pissed. You don’t have to remind me, love,” John replies, looking over his shoulder at her.

Fire tries (and mostly fails) to ignore the heat in her stomach at his pet name. “I’m serious, John. There’s something you need to―” Her words were halted when they turned the corner to Ritchie’s house. His front door was surrounded by hooded, shadowy figures.

“Oh no. He’s dying,” John whispered.

“ **John Constantine** ,” one of the figures rasped, “ **purveyor of the dark arts and lifeline of last resort. No matter. Your friend’s soul will be collected. And there’s nothing you can do to alter that.** ”

“Why don’t you go do something useful? Like haunt a house,” John replied. Pride filled Fire at John’s fearlessness in the face of death.

“Who’s he talking to now?” Bruce asked.

“Shrouds,” Boston explains, “they deliver souls to Hell.”

Suddenly the shrouds surrounded Bruce, staring at him in a way that reminded Fire of a man dying of thirst. “Why am I not surprised that they’re attracted to you?” she asked sarcastically.

“ **This one has cheated us many times. It is vexing,** ” another shroud hoarsely said. It studied Bruce closer until the human whispered “boo”, causing the shroud to jump away in surprise.

Fire rolled her eyes.  _ He can even intimidate things he’s can’t see. Of course he can _ . “Okay, that’s enough of that shit,” she mumbled, closing her eyes and stretching her neck to the side until it popped. When she tightened her neck and opened her eyes, the bright silver had changed into a glowing gold. “ **_As the daughter of Cimeries, I order you to stay away from Ritchie Simpson’s soul until I deem otherwise. Failure to comply with my orders shall result in a punishment dealt worse than anything Lucifer himself could create. Am I understood?_ ** ” The shrouds remained silent, only gawking at the hybrid. “ **_I said: AM I UNDERSTOOD??_ ** ” Fire repeated, her demonic voice causing several pebbles on the ground to vibrate.

The first shroud hissed at her. “ **Very well. But know this: if Ritchie Simpson’s body naturally passes on, there is nothing even you can do to stop it.** ”

“ **_I understand. Now leave my presence_ ** ,” Fire told them, dismissing them as if they were nothing more than dirt under her boots. The shrouds faded away until the only signifier of their presence was the much-cooler air around the group. Fire closed her eyes, breathing in and out before opening them again, letting her demonic side fade to the backburner. “Well, that was easier than I thought it would be.”

Almost instantly after the shroud’s left, Ritchie’s front door opened, revealing the man of the hour himself. “I thought I felt a disturbance in the Force,” Ritchie drawled, leaning heavily on his cane. “How you doin’, Johnnie boy? Fire? And... Batman? What the hell?” he asked, surprised that the latter was even in his presence. 

“Tell you everything inside, mate” John said, walking up the stairs. Ritchie moved aside to let him and the others in. They followed Ritchie to his living room, allowing him to lean against his fire place. 

Fire walked up to him, cupping his neck. “ _ Lassen Sie Ihre Schmerzen los, _ ” she whispers, Ritchie’s body glowing for a split second before he exhaled in relief. “I’m sorry, but there’s nothing more I can do for you except make you comfortable,” Fire told him, releasing her hold. 

“I may have lied the last time we talked, about exactly how fast I’m sledding downhill. ‘M sorry about that,” Ritchie said before looking at John. John looked extremely uncomfortable. “But it means a lot you’re here, John,” he told the younger man, placing a hand on his shoulder. “And, hey, you don’t have to say it. You-you’re forgiven.” He kept his hand on John’s shoulder as he looked at Bruce. “Still wondering what Batman’s doing in my living room. And when is he gonna shut up, right?” He chorkled at his own joke. His laughter stopped the moment he looked back at John, who was rubbing the back of his head again. “You’re not here to say you’re sorry, are you.” It was a statement, not a question.

“Of course I am,” John immediately countered, “...but I was looking to borrow the Keshanti Key as well.”

“Un-believe-able,” Ritchie said, enunciating each syllable with a good dose of anger.

“I tried to tell him before we got here, but he didn’t listen. As usual,” Fire said, shrugging her shoulders helplessly. “You know how much of a stubborn ass he can be once he sets his mind to something.”

“It’s not your fault,  _ ignis _ ,” Ritchie told her, the old pet name slipping from his lips easily. Fire hadn’t heard it since she and John parted ways, and it nearly tore her heart in two. But she had to be strong, for the innocents who could lose their lives if she couldn’t help Bruce. “It’s rock-star Johnnie’s fault. We were standing side by side. I got the weird magical cancer while he only added to his rep.”

“Look, me not making proper amends isn’t related to the Key,” John interrupted, “which, truth be told, you’re not gon―”

He was cut off when Fire said “Halt die Hölle, kleiner Blazer.” His mouth clamped shut immediately. “I don’t care what the House says, John, but you finish that sentence, and I’ll castrate you and make you deepthroat your own balls. Ok?” John nodded, eyes annoyed (and slightly impressed... not that Fire noticed). “Good.” The hybrid waved a hand, releasing her silencing spell. “Please, Ritchie. According to Batman, there’s some type of darkness infecting people, making them hallucinate innocents as demons. If this continues, barriers will be broken. And the rest of my kind isn’t as pleasant as I am.”

Ritchie looked at John, then Bruce, before returning his gaze to Fire. He nodded, walking over to a little iron chest on one of his many bookshelves. He opened it and took out a small pendant. “Well, doctor says an upbeat attitude can help, so what I’ll focus on today is that I met Batman,” he joked, giving the Key to Fire. Ritchie wrapped his hand in the one that held the Key. “It was also nice to see you too, Fire. Now, if you’ll excuse me...” He walked out of the room, the group following. “You can show yourselves out.” And they did, John making sure the doors were shut securely behind him.

* * *

They went back to the House, which took them to Metropolis Health Center. Boston acted as lookout as they snuck in through the back to one of the infected patient’s rooms. They got to the man’s room in no time, quickly entering before shutting the door from the outside world. Everyone looked at the man, whose eyes were staring blankly at the ceiling with his wrists cuffed like a psychiatric patient. “Well, well. Father of the year,” John stated. Wasn’t hard to hear the lack of sympathy in his voice. “I’ll need the gear now,” he said, looking at Fire. 

“How does it work?” Bruce asked, watching as Fire took out the Key.

“It’s basically a magical shortcut. It lets me access different planes of existence without doing 20-odd hours of incantations. In this case, I’ll poke around this poor sod’s memories to see how his madness began, and more importantly, what caused it,” John explained, reaching a hand out to take it from the demoness.

But Fire pulled her hand back. “I don’t think so.” She explained before John could get a word in edgewise. “You are not going in there by yourself. The only way you’re going in there is with me.” Fire walked over to the man and placed the key in the center of his forehead, giving her direct access to his mind. The key seemed to fade into the man’s skin, changing form until it looked like a hole that lead to the center of their universe. 

Suddenly, a nurse walked in. Before any of the living could react to her threat, Boston possessed her. “I’ll make sure the looky-loos stay outta your hair,” he told them, leaving the room and shutting the door behind him.

Fire looked at Bruce. “Tap him three times near the key to let us know if something goes wrong,” she instructed the Dark Knight. He nodded his understanding before leaning against the door. Fire looked across the comatose man at John. She smiled slightly, holding out her hand to him. “Shall we?”

John took a deep breath before accepting her hand, intertwining their fingers. “Let’s jump down the rabbit’s hole then, love,” John said. He touched his hand to the key’s opening, allowing it’s light to infuse himself and Fire as they entered the man’s consciousness. Floating into his mindscape showed the duo little globes of light representing his memories floating everywhere. “You okay, Fire?”

“Huh? Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just been a while,” Fire said, looking away from the memory that had caught her attention. John ‘floated’ over to her to see what she did. They both watched in grave silence as the man was beaten by his father as a child. “It’s people like this that give humanity a bad name,” she mumbled, unconsciously taking John’s hand in her own. John didn’t say anything, just gave her hand a comforting squeeze. “The darkness just makes me want to devolve to my basic demonic urges,” Fire told him, watching another memory float by of the man wetting himself in front of his class, tears cascading down his face. “I’ve always admired your will against this type of thing.”

“It’s all about control,” John simply said. He kept her hand in his as they went around, searching for the memory that triggered the man’s madness. “Not like you don’t have plenty of it yourself.”

“Because I focus much of my energy on light magic,” Fire says, searching another memory. “I have to balance myself, or I become the thing I fear the most.”

“A monster?”

Fire shook her head. “Something that you’d have to put down.”

John stops them for a moment, taking her other hand in his, turning her to face him. “I would gladly sell my soul to your father if it meant you would still be you,” he told her. “You promised me once that you’d make sure I’d never lose myself. Well, I’m making that same promise to you.”

Fire chuckled, shaking her head. “You are one of the sappiest people I have ever known, John Constantine.”

John shrugged. “Better than being known as a right bastard.”

“Oh, don’t worry. You still are. Just a right sappy bastard.”

John smiled, giving both of her hand a squeeze before letting one of them go. “Only for you, love.” They continued in contented silence for a few minutes until John came across an anomaly in the man’s mind. He led Fire into the memory. “This is it. This was the morning of his madness.”

“I wonder what happened,” Fire said softly.

“My guess is the sudoku set him off. He’s got two nines in the same row,” John joked, interlocking their fingers absentmindedly. 

Suddenly, a darkness came over the memory. Something old was what drove this man to the brink. Fire held his hand tightly as the shadow permeated the room, forming into a demonic shroud-like creature. The pair watched in horror as it dug its shadow claws into the man’s psych, twisting it like a grotesque pretzel. Fire felt a shift in the man’s physical body. “John, we need to hurry.”

“One more second, Fire. There’s something we need to see,” John shushed her gently, watching the shadow retract its claw from the man. A gold ring was on its pointer finger, intricately detailed. As the mindfield shattered, John lit up the darkness, reaching out to the memory-ring. He accidentally lost his grip on Fire as they were separated by the ruin of the man’s mind. “Got it!” John shouted triumphantly, reaching out for Fire. It took him a moment to catch up to her momentum, but he managed to grab it tightly. He led them out of the man’s mind as it dissolved into stardust, practically bursting back into the physical plane.

When they returned, they were confronted by what literally seemed to be a shit monster. “Kehrt zur Grube zurück, von wo ihr gekommen seid!” Fire shouted, the monster exploding outwards, covering every inch of the room except Fire and John. They exited the room, John coughing at the unbearable stench. Fire just ignored it. The sulfur pits filled with Nazis smelled much worse than this. Bruce and Boston waited in front of the door for them. “Oh! Shit’s really hit the fan,” Boston remarked.

“You  _ had _ to got there, Boston,” John complained, staring at the monster’s remains in utter disgust. “Let’s get the hell out of here.” He left no room for argument, swiftly exiting the room with Boston hot on his heels. Fire looked at Bruce, shrugging before following John’s lead. She snorted as she heard Bruce grumble for the fifth billionth time that night.

* * *

After returning to Brooklyn, John showed them the shard of memory he managed to collect as they walked back to Ritchie’s house. “I don’t recognize it,” Bruce stated.

“Me neither,” John agreed, staring at it intensely. “But if there’s a person alive who can, it’s Ritchie.”

“Are you forgetting when you made your friend despise you?” Boston asked, floating closer to John’s side. 

“This is too bloody important for hurt feelings,” John quickly said. That’s when they heard the unmistakable sound of a shroud’s hiss. It was as recognizable as a banshee’s wail. This time, there were even more of them crowded around Ritchie’s front steps. One of the shrouds from earlier just happened to be leaving when it spotted them. “ **Constantine** ,” it croaked. “ **You’ve arrived in time to witness my** ―” It was ignored as the group rushed into the home to find Ritchie collapsed on the floor with his soul being collected. Fire noticed Jason Blood standing over his body, but had no time to pay attention to that. John, as predicted, ran after the demon-possessed man.

Fire let more of her demonic influence come out, not only changing her eyes to gold, but elongating her nails until they were sharp claws. “Get back, ya bastards!” Boston shouted, trying but failing to keep the shrouds away. Fire dug her claws into Ritchie’s soul, ripping it from the shroud’s grasp before returning it to it’s proper body. “ **_I warned you!_ ** ” she growled, slashing her claws through a shroud, smiling sadistically as it faded away with a shriek. Fire continued to slice through the reapers as Bruce calmly observed Ritchie’s body, checking for a pulse. She wasn’t too worried about the man, her only concern buying Bruce more time to revive him. All of them screeched as Bruce injected Ritchie’s heart with an adrenaline shot, bringing him back from the edge. Fire panted, glaring at Bruce. “ **_You better not have taken one of those in the last seventy-two hours, or I’m going to be extremely pissed,_ ** ” she informed him. 

“There’s only for emergencies,” Bruce blankly said. Fire rolled her eyes before closing them, trying to calm her breathing to the beat of Bruce’s heart. 

“I see you have a few tricks of your own, eh?” John asked, returning with a magically-bound Jason. 

“Not everything requires magic,” Bruce droned.

John rolled his eyes before noticing Fire’s struggle to return to her human form. “Fire,” he said, not flinching when he saw her eyes were still gold. “Give me your hand.” He held a hand out placatingly. She studied him for a moment before her instincts deemed him trustworthy, giving him her clawed hand. John slowly walked closer to her, placing the hand over his heart, making sure to keep steady breaths. “In and out, that’s it, love.” Fire followed his instructions, breathing a sigh of relief when her claws finally retracted to her normal, extremely bitten nails. “See? Already kept my word,” John joked. 

Fire did the only thing natural and flipped him the bird.

* * *

Once more returning to the House of Mystery, Bruce set Ritchie down on one of the many guest beds. He left John and Orchid alone with the unconscious man, returning to the main communal room. Fire watched Jason closely, having an unofficial staring contest with the man. John returned a few minutes later, lips pursed. He sauntered straight up to Jason, but made sure he was still within Fire’s line of range. “We need to talk, you and I. But, if you try and summon Etrigan, I’ll let Fire rip your tongue out before the first verse is done. Savvy?” The hybrid smiled maliciously at the thought, letting her irises flicker gold before letting them return to their natural silver form. 

Jason nodded in understanding, John waving away his bindings and gag a second later. “The situation was not how it seemed,” he tried to explain, rubbing his wrists. “The apartment was like that when I arrived. Richard as well.”

“Come on! You were all over him,” Boston protested. 

“I was attempting to help. When you burst in, I knew I’d get blamed. So I ran,” Jason said, standing. 

“Y’know, if it wasn’t for the fact that I trust both you  _ and _ Etrigan, you’d have a big problem,” Fire told him, standing as well before moving to John’s side. 

“You’re right, love. He’s chock full of honor, loyalty, and rubbish of that sort,” John agreed, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“Then tell us why you were there,” Bruce demands, stepping closer just in case.

Jason sighed, knowing he had no choice but to answer the Bat’s command. “Richard is known as a collector of the arcane and supernatural. I wanted to see if he had something that could gain me access to this place.”

“Why would you wanna break in here?” Boston asks, everyone watching Jason closely as he moved to one of the many floor-to-ceiling bookcases the House had.

Jason stopped in front of the Dreamstone. “For this,” he simply said. “The single most powerful conduit of evil in the history of the world. He named it the Dreamstone, but it’s really the stuff of nightmares.” Jason turns back to them, his eyes full of pain as he explains its origin, and how  _ it  _ is the reason he was bonded to Etrigan by Merlin. Fire had heard this story many times over her acquaintanceship with Jason, but it never made it any easier to listen to.  _ It is a necessary evil in this world. Like me and my father _ . “I didn’t think you’d give it up willingly, and though this piece is useless without the other half, it’s far from powerless.”

“Safe enough where it is,” John dismissed.

“Displayed like a tourist trinket in a Karachi bazaar?” Jason scoffed. He tried to grab it, only succeeding in watching his hand go through the dark object.

“Neat, isn’t it?” John asks. “The House keeps my valuables out of phase so they don’t go wandering off.”

“But still, the timing of the Stone’s appearance and its power indicates that it’s somehow involved with our recent crimes.” Bruce, always the one to connect dots that everyone would brush under the rug. Gotta love good ol’ fashioned paranoia sometimes.

“Which is why it stays here, where only I can get to it.” John, always having to have a comeback.

“I think me, them, and everyone else who knows you might want it to be somewhere else.” And Boston, the deadman with the decent sense of humor. 

Why was Fire needed again? Before she could think on this further, Black Orchid walks into the room. “Your friend is awake.” Everyone practically sprints to Ritchie’s room, hoping to talk to him before he passed on. “Ritchie, who was it? Who did this to you?” John asked, worried for his oldest friend.

Using what little strength he had in him, Ritchie pointed to the ring and said the one word Fire had been hoping to avoid: “Faust.” That’s all he can say before he returns to sleep.

John nods, standing and walking away without saying a word. The hellblazer practically speed walks to one of the many libraries, sorting through some books on a desk. Fire and the others wordlessly follow, watching him ditch books like a madman. “There you are, ya old bastard,” John mumbles after thumbing through the pages of one of the bigger books. “I give you wizard and asshole extraordinaire, Felix Faust.”

“You don’t need to tell me twice. Douchebag tried to use me as a human sacrifice before realizing I’m not fully human,” Fire grumbled, glaring at Faust’s floating image. “I don’t know why I’m surprised. He loves conjuring ‘natural’ disasters,” Fire said, actually using air quotes around ‘natural’.

Bruce taked out what the hybrid decides to call a BatPad. “The League had a run-in with Faust, but his location isn’t in our database.”

“Yeah, well, wizards don’t make it a habit of signing up for credit cards or social media,” John tells him. “His grandly-named Observatory of the Cosmos is hidden from the likes of you and Superman, but not from me.” John tries to perform a locator spell using a simple gold needle. Fire isn’t really surprised when it fails, raising an eyebrow as if to say ‘ _ next? _ ’ 

“What’s happening?” Boston asks.

Bruce studies the needle. “If this were a computer, I’d say it’s frozen.”

John doesn’t hesitate to flip Bruce the British Bird. “Cheers.”

Fire rolled her eyes. “Faust would be smart enough to fuck up tracking spells, so they’re useless. There has to be something else we can do to find him.”

“There is,” John replied, “...but it involves asking a favor of someone that I don’t have the best relationship with.”  

“John, it would be easier to make a list of people who  _ don’t _ hate your guts,” Fire pointed out.

Before John could create some sort of witty comeback, Orchid reenters the room. “Your friend slips from the mortal plane,” she says blankly. 

“Keep him alive and safe. Understand?” John orders, the needle falling back to the table.

Orchid looks at him with a somehow-blanker expression. “That is not my purpose.”

“I don’t give a flying shag what you think your bloody purpose is. I order you to help him any and every way you’re able,” John says, tone brokering no argument as he pointed to the projection. Orchid stares for a moment at the baffling human before nodding in understanding. “Let’s go.”

* * *

They exited the House, which was now located in a swamp. They managed to make it a few steps before someone complained. In this case, Jason. “Alright, I’ll ask. Why are we in the middle of godforsaken swamp?”

“It’s a favorite hidey-hole of one Alec Holland,” John explains, snapping his fingers to electrocute some bugs, “whose corpse was taken to be the most recent avatar of the green. Bet you won’t find that on your bloody cellphone.”

“Our data’s more factual,” Bruce counters. “Alec Holland was murdered by terrorists, his body was never recovered. End of story.”

“Not quite,” John mutters. Everyone stops as the moonlight cascades around them and a booming voice demands them to leave. John lights a match, creating a fire sigil for him to float on. He hovers over a marsh of flowers. “Swamp Thing. I know you’re seein’ this. Get out here, or the posies get it!”

Vines erupt from the flowers, coming together to create a body for the Swamp Thing. “You dare threaten the green, Constantine?” Holland questions, standing menacingly over John. He lifts a hand to smack the hellblazer. 

“Löschen!” Fire shouts, killing John’s fire sigil and sending him into the bog. She runs through the water until she’s in front of John, staring at the Swamp Thing with no fear in her. “I would apologize for John, but anyone who’s ever met him should know better.”

Holland stares at her with his beady red eyes. “You have a garden.” It isn’t a question.

Fire nods feverently. “It’s a memorial garden. I tend to it every day. But it’s not just that. I was raised by my human mother to appreciate all life, and my demon father to see worth where others don’t. Please, we only came here to ask for your help. Don’t let your anger at John stop you from helping others. I mean, you were human once. Surely you remember what it’s like to be young and stupid.”

“Hmmm.” Holland considers Fire’s words before nodding. “If it will get him out of my bayou, then so be it. What is it you ask?”

“We’re looking for Felix Faust and his observatory. It would be surrounded by dark magic, killing any and all life within a 50 mile radius. Are there any dead spots in your nature that could indicate that type of rot?” Fire asks. 

Swamp Things nods. He lifts his arms, creepers coming to surround the group. In a matter of moments, they were on the outskirts of some rock formation. “The place you seek, is there,” Holland says, pointing to a cliff overlooking a  _ very _ long drop. 

Fire and John walked to the edge. “Zeigen Sie sich, Observatorium des Kosmos,” the hybrid says, releasing a near-transparent dust. It floated on the winds to the cliff, revealing Faust’s hideout. “That place is as heavily warded as the Door of Orpheus,” she told them. 

John nodded, walking back to Alec. “I know we’ve had our differences,” John starts, “but we could really use your help. If we don’t get a handle on this rotter, he’ll threaten all of humanity.”

“That may be, but that is not my concern anymore. As your  _ inamorata _ stated, I was once human, but I am no longer. Perhaps his actions are a kind of justice, for who destroys more of the green than your kind?” Holland retreats back into the earth, leaving no sign that he was ever there to begin with. 

“Aaaand Swamp Thing has left the building.” Fire rolls her eyes at Boston’s one-liner, trying to hide a smile.

“Guess we do it the hard way,” John stated.

“Or not,” Jason says. “ _ Gone, gone, the form of man. Arise the demon Etrigan! _ ” Everyone except Fire covered their eyes as Jason was surrounded by flames, in his place Etrigan. The demon smiled in vicious glee before blowing hellfire into his hands, calling forth the Sword of the Damned. Etrigan growls, launching himself to the observatory, making a decent-sized hole in the ceiling. 

“That works,” Fire said, flying into the air to help her brother-in-arms. When she entered, she say Faust watching in glee as Etrigan fought three demons. Punching him into the ground, she grabbed his spellbook from mid-air. Opening her mouth to banish him to another realm, Fire found she could not speak. Touching her throat, she glares at Faust.

“Do you like what I’ve done with the place?” Faust mocked, levitating on a piece of his floor. “No woman can speak in my sanctum sanctorum. I conjured it just for you, and for the sake of men everywhere!” He cackled, snatching the book from Fire’s hand. Conjuring two torture sigils on either side of Fire, the demoness moved quickly out of the way, not anticipating them coming together. When it impacted, it threw Fire through several bookshelves.Fire pretend to lay there unconscious for a few seconds, grateful to Boston that he bought her time. Standing, she felt John and Bruce coming to stand next to her. They watched in morbid hilarity as Boston forced Faust to hit himself repeatedly in the face. 

Bruce went to grab his grappling hook, but John stopped him dead in his tracks with one stupid comment: “Not everything can be solved with your peashooter.” If Fire could talk, she would point out that Batman’s non-magical methods had worked well enough during the night. John cast several inferno spells at Faust, now free of Boston’s control, with Bruce adding to the explosions with several rigged Batarangs. Fire and Bruce moved out of the way as Faust launched a pain ruin at them, John managing to block it. “Is that it?” he taunted, moving the smoke away from himself. “Well, it’s off to the old magicians home for you, mate. Pudding night is Thursday.” Snapping his fingers, Faust caused a water mine to erupt, trapping John in an H cube. Though he was powerful, John still needed to breathe. 

Fire felt helpless as Faust taunted John, trying to force him into using another fireball. Bruce used his grapple to grab the spellbook right from Faust’s grubby sausage fingers, using the hook to throw the book to John. John grabbed onto the line as the water erupted, ready to drop him the hundred feet to the ground. Bruce launched a secondary hook into a nearby column, yanking hard to stabilize John’s descent. The hellblazer landed on his ass (something Fire would tease him about  _ when she could fucking talk again _ ), coughing up water. “I take it back. That thing is useful,” John said. Fire ran through the maze of shelves as Faust began directing another attack at John. 

Without her voice, she was nearly powerless. Hiding behind a bookshelf, she remembered one spell that didn’t need her verbal say. Fire removed John’s necklace, holding the Hope Diamond to her lips. ‘ _ Find my voice, _ ’ she mouthed to the stone. It glowed gold before flying off to do her bidding. From her inner jacket pocket, she pulled out her mother’s  [ promise ring ](http://www.jewelryexpert.com/catalog/graphics/Winged-Lady-Ring-1.gif) . Father had imbued it with magic after Mama had joined him in case of an emergency such as this. No silencing spell would be able to stop it. Slipping it on, Fire stood after hearing an explosion. “Fire? Where are you, angel?” Faust taunted, bile filling Fire’s throat at being called a creature of God. “I know you can’t speak, but give me a wave. You’re the only one here that’s really a threat.”  Fire knelt when she felt her necklace find the object Faust used to spell her into silence. Looking around the corner, Fire ducked back when she saw Faust float by.  _ If only he’d move away for just a second. _ Taking a calming breath, she prepared to run for it when Faust found her hiding spot. “This will sting a bit,” Faust said, raising a hand. He encased her in ice, and Fire had to hold her position until a suitable distraction came along.  _ He honestly thinks he can trap me in what melts because of me. How pathetically hopeful. _

Fortunately, Etrigan tackled Faust right at that moment, allowing Fire to melt the ice. Using her father’s ring, Fire used it to push Faust as far away from her and a now-unconscious Jason. “Stored magic? Really? It’s the TV dinner of spell casting, angel,” Faust mocked.  _ This isn’t just stored magic _ , Fire thought,  _ this is a stored magic someone like you could never comprehend _ . He hit the ring with a lightning spell. Fire allowed the blow to knock her down, pretending that she was a damsel in distress. Anything to get Faust to doubt her for even a second. “Here’s what  _ real magic looks like _ ,” he told her, conjuring about a dozen agony sigils. They all fired at once, Fire able to move quickly thanks to her demonic speed. She ran over to her necklace, seeing it rest on a  [ statue of a succubus ](https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/005/892/891/large/holly-woolford-keyshot-r1.jpg?1494500209) .  _ Asshole really thinks he’s funny, doesn’t he? _ A rock hand grabbed her as she grabbed both her necklace and the succubus. Fire was lifted by the hand until she was in front of Faust. As the hand squeezed her, Fire tried to unwrap the succubi’s mouth, dropping her necklace in the process. She barely managed to catch the edge each time, growing more and more angry by the second. Good thing Bruce came out of nowhere, blowing up the hand and freeing Fire. 

As she free fell to the earth with purple lightning zipping straight for her, Fire tried to get the knot out of the gag. Fire heard John call her name, but she ignored it.  _ This asshole is going to pay _ . The lightning hit her as the gag came off, resulting if smoke surrounding Fire. It was with a start that she realized that she had never been this enraged, causing not only her eyes and nails to change, but her entire body as well. She distantly heard the statue  _ kling _ to the ground, but she ignored it. Raising her hands, Fire called the smoke to dissipate into the golden column surrounding her body. Instead of a human form, Fire was now the living embodiment of flames, eyes gold and hair swishing like a live flame. “ **_Du wirst jetzt meinen Zorn fühlen._ ** ” As she said this, hundred of spell books flew at her, joining her golden hurricane. “I will kill you, woman!” Faust shouted, once more hurtling purple electricity at her. The hybrid batted it away with a flick of her wrist, backfiring on the sorcerer. The golden halo around Fire disappeared as Faust fired several shots at her, which only deflected off of Fire’s new body. She flew at him like a bullet, kicking him in the gut. He yelped, landing and becoming embedded in a pillar. Fire lifted her hand, calling Etrigan’s sword from it’s place in the wall. “ **_Ziel für Faust's Hals_ ** ,” she commanded, and the damned weapon flew through the air. It was mere feet from its target when John stepped in the way. “ **_Please step out of the way, John. A lesson needs to be learned._ ** ”

John shook his head. “I can’t let you do that, love. If no blood is spilled, your soul remains yours. Those blasted shrouds would  _ revel _ in dragging you to where you want to go.” He took a breath. “What would your mother say right now?”

Fire said nothing, floating closer until John was in her reach. “ **_She_ ** **_―_ ** **_she would want me to do what is right._ ** ” Grabbing the hilt of the sword, Fire raised it, ready to strike. Faust screamed in fear as the blade dropped, barely grazing his skin. A single drop of blood spilled from the cut. Leaning over John’s shoulder, Fire whispered in Faust’s ear, “ **_It is because I was raised to believe that no matter how vile a creature is, they will one day receive their dues. When your soul finally departs this plane, be prepared to face your hell at my hands. There is no mercy in my heart for something as pitiful as you._ ** ” Fire knocked him unconscious with a wave of her hand, enjoying the way his body slumped to the floor. The hybrid dropped the sword and her demonic guard, falling to the ground. Fortunately, John caught her before she could hit the floor. Fire groaned, reverting to her human form. She opened her eyes, staring at John. The demoness choked on a few sobs before burying her face in John’s chest. She felt John rub soothing circles into her back, holding her tight to him. Listening to John’s heart, she followed it with her breaths until she calmed down. She looked up at John. “Faust didn’t do anything. Before he fell unconscious, he was confused as to why we attacked him.”

“I concur,” Jason said, conscious and walking towards them. As he passed the frozen demons, they reverted back to their basic forms. “He summoned our old poker buddies, Constantine.” He stopped in front of the pair on the floor, handing Fire her necklace. Fire nodded gratefully, returning it to its rightful place around her neck.

“The hell does it all mean?” Boston asked as John helped Fire to stand, making sure to keep a hand on her lower back just in case.

“It means Faust had access to the artifact whenever he wanted,” John said. 

“Well, we’re back to square one then,” Boston complained. 

“Unfortunately, no,” Bruce said. “We were sent by your friend, remember?” he reminded John.

“Ritchie’s dying,” Fire countered. “Sure, he’s got a lot of pain and anger in him, but many people who are unexpectedly dying do. He wouldn’t stoop so low as to perform dark magic... right?”

“ _ Is _ he dying?” Bruce asked, making a pit form in Fire’s stomach.

* * *

They all sprinted to the House as soon as John finished conjuring a teleportation spell after the House didn’t answer his calls. “Why aren’t we inside?” Jason asked.

“Because Ritchie’s bloody well taken control of the House,” John swore. “This is what you get for having mates.” Fire gave his shoulder a quick squeeze before letting her hand drop. “Boston, can you get inside?” The apparition nodded, floating to the House. As soon as he touched the door, Boston was thrown back until he landed at the group’s feet. John growled, stomping up the steps of his home. “Ritchie, you’re gonna listen to me whether you like it or not.” Silence. “Open the door,” John commanded. Still nothing. “Do you hear? Open it!” Finally, the door opened up for its true tenant. 

Everyone went inside, only to find Ritchie standing in front of the roaring fire. “Too late, Johnny Boy.” He turned around, revealing a completed Dreamstone. John grit his teeth. Creating a red bubble to encase himself in, Ritchie let the dark aura of the stone consume him. Bruce tried to take him out with a Batarang, but it only served to deflect from the shield. Ritchie waved a hand, causing all of them to levitate. 

“Stop while there’s still time to save your soul,” John said, trying to plead with one of his oldest friends. 

“Says the man who skates away from everything,” Ritchie taunts. “Since you got me infected, I’ve looked all over the world for a cure. And I’ve finally found it.”

“But at what cost?!” Fire yelled, trying to remain calm. If she reverted to her demonic form again, she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to come back. “Look at what you’ve become, Ritchie! This is not the man who supported me and John. This is not the man I vouched for to the shrouds!”

Ritchie sighed. “Sorry it had to come to this,  _ ignis _ . But John left me with no choice.”

Fire spit in his direction. “This isn’t John’s fault. The only person who can corrupt your soul is yourself.”

The stone began to smoke where Ritchie held it in his palm. “This can’t be right,” he mumbled. Ritchie screamed as the stone imbedded itself in his chest. “Wait! Wait! We― we had a deal!” Fire had to look away as Ritchie’s screams grew louder and more painful. They were pushed away as black fire enveloped him. “Five hundred years, I’ve waited,” a deep voice hissed. Like a shroud, but far more corrupted. “Five hundred years, I’ve planned.”

“Really?” John stood. “I guess five hundred must be the new three hundred. What say we share your beauty secrets over a pint, eh?” Fire snorts before standing as well.

Destiny cackled “A god does not prattle with mortals.”

“How about a ghost, a human possessed by a demon, and a demon-human hybrid?” Fire asked, her arms becoming alight. Destiny roared, causing the House to explode. He flew away from the carnage, completely unharmed. Fire managed to cast a shield before feeling something sticky on her face. As the shield dropped, he reached up to touch it, finding out it was blood when she pulled away. She groaned, falling to her knees. “Ugh,” she moaned, cradling her head in her hands. 

Fire looked up when she felt something warm envelop her. It took a moment longer than it should have to realize it was John’s trenchcoat. “You need rest, love,” John told her, shushing her protests. “We’ll go ahead while our trump card recharges. Ok?” Fire nodded reluctantly. John gently laid her down on the soft ground. She could hear him mumbling a healing spell, but she was already lost to the darkness.

* * *

**_“Fire.”_ **

**_The hybrid opened her eyes at the sound of that familiar voice. She was standing in her family’s palace, in her bedroom. Turning around, she saw a welcomed face. “Father!” she shouted, running into the demon’s arms. Cimeries’ strawberry blonde hair tickled her nose, causing Fire to laugh. Pulling back but not letting go, daughter and father stared at each other. “Why am I here? I was with John and the other when―” She paused. “Oh hell!”_ **

**_“Shhh, it’s fine now, daughter,” Cimeries soothed his only child. “You were fortunate that you are strong enough to resist the temptation of forgetting your humanity.”_ **

**_Fire snorted. “That’s because other hybrids don’t have loving parents.”_ **

**_Cimeries conceded with a shrug. “Your human blames himself for bringing you into this.”_ **

**_Fire shook her head. “I knew what I was getting into. John’s an idiot if he thinks he coulda stopped me.”_ **

**_Cimeries smirked. “I didn’t say his name.” Fire paled, causing Cimeries to laugh, hugging his daughter with his golden wings. “You two still belong together. Though he may con others, he has never done anything wrong to our family.”_ **

**_“I know,” Fire sign, finally letting her father out of her grip, going to sit on her bed. He joined her a second later. “But he doesn’t deserve to feel the pain I had to go through. He― he’s already had to lose so much. How could he still love me after I left?” Now she cried, the heat instantly drying them._ **

**_Cimeries thought of his own relationship with his wife. “When I first met your mother, I was sure she was an angel. I never believed that an ordinary human could be so beautiful.” Fire chuckled. “Ingrid looked passed my pain and what I became to the immortal underneath. Do you understand how she was able to do that?”_ **

**_Fire didn’t say anything for a long while, staring out her window to the hellscape before her. “Because she loved you,” she finally whispered._ **

**_“Indeed,” Cimeries said. “So why do you doubt your Constantine?”_ **

**_The hybrid began crying again. “I need to help him; I need to help the humans.” Cimeries smiled at his daughter’s determination. She was a good combination of himself and his human. Fire closed her eyes, lying down on her bed. “Thank you, Father.”_ **

**_“Always, my child.”_ **

**_Fire took a deep breath. “_ ** Mieten Sie meinen Körper. Hilf mein Herz. Bringe mir das sterbliche Flugzeug zurück, um das Schicksal zu bekämpfen. **_” In a flash, she was gone._ **

* * *

Fire woke with a gasp, freaking out when she didn’t feel the ground underneath her. She relaxed when she realized she was in the House of Mystery. “Orchid?” she called out.

Black Orchid was instantly at her side, helping her sit up. “I am glad to see you are well,” she said. “John was worried you would not recover from the amount of magic you have used this night.”

The hybrid snorted. “He should have known better.” She studied Orchid closer. I’m glad to see you and the House are still intact.”

The embodiment nodded. “I do not need to have any type of precognition to know you wish for me to take you to John.” 

Fire shook her head. “Batman. He’s the one without any supernatural abilities.” She readjusted John’s trenchcoat. “Please.”

Orchid npdded. “Exiting the front entrance will take you approximately two blocks from Batman’s location. I will transport the House to your residence until called upon.” Fire nodded her thanks, quickly walking to the front door. 

Exiting the house, she witnessed all the chaos Destiny was causing. All that fear nearly choked her, but Fire pushed on. It took her a few minutes of running down various alleys before she found Bruce taking out the Green Lantern before Wonder Woman began to charge at him. “Lasso der Wahrheit, halt deine Prinzessin,” Fire chanted. The Lasso wrapped itself tightly around Wonder Woman, causing her to fall to the ground in a snarling heap. 

Bruce turned to her. “Glad to see you back on your feet, Fire.”

“Einfrieren, Kryptonian!” Fire quickly shouted. Stunned, Bruce turned around to see Superman’s first mere centimeters away from his face. “Aren’t you the person who always says to never turn your back to who you’re fighting?” Fire questions smugly before knocking both Superman and Wonder Woman unconscious. Deeming them as non-threatening for now, Fire had the lasso bound Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, and Superman’s wrists together. “Any more of your teammates we need to worry about?”

* * *

Bruce and Fire manage to join the others in time to watch Jason satisfyingly stab Destiny though the chest, knocking out the Dreamstone. “Merlin send his regards,” the demonologist smugly says. “Oh, and by the way? You lose.” He walks away from the thing that kept him bound to Etrigan for five centuries.

Fire raises her hands to back John up as he begins the process of banishing Destiny to hell. He tries to reach for his stone, but Bruce destroys it with a single Batarang, erasing it from existence. “I don’t think so,” Bruce tells him. John finishes his spell as Ritchies is returned to his own body. 

The man dropped to the ground, groaning. Looking up, Ritchie screams as he’s surrounded by shrouds. “Johnny, I was― I was under a compulsion. You’ve got to save me,” he begged.

“John doesn’t have to do anything for you,” Fire says, coming to stand between John and Jason. “You made your choice. Now pay the price.” Ritchie still babbled as his soul was pulled from his body. “Please shut him up,” she asked the shrouds.

“ **With pleasure, princess,** ” Alpha Shroud says. They watch silently as Ritchie is pulled to his true destiny. 

“That, was unpleasant,” Boston commented the moment it was over. 

Fire was surprised to see Etrigan separated from Jason. “What―? Nevermind, you can explain to me later,” she tells John.

“So Merlin’s spell hath ended,” Etrigan commented.

“It would seem so,” Jason agreed. “Though it’s a ‘good news, bad news’ sort of thing.” Suddenly Jason groaned, pitching forward. Etrigan caught him, with Fire kneeling next to him in an instant. She pulled back the man’s tan jacket to see his centuries-old wound bleeding anwe. Knowing there was nothing that could be done, Fire did the only thing she could: “Beruhige deinen tödlichen Schmerz,” she chanted. Jason breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, old friend,” he said, grabbing her hand. “But don’t mourn for me. It’s a welcome end.” And that was how he died, in the arms of the demon he was tied to for so long.

* * *

“For five hundred years, he and I have been bound,” Etrigan said as he looked on at the tombstone of Jason Blood. “A demon from hell, a knight of renown. Though we were cursed to be slaves to each other, I know of no man I’d want more for a brother. Farewell, mortal.” The demon stood.

“Etrigan,” Fire called, stalling his exit. “If you ever need anything, go to Cimeries. He knows of you. It is the least I can do for you.” Etrigan nodded before dissipating in a column of fire. Fire, John and Boston stared at the grave marker:  **Jason Blood: Knight of Camelot, Defeater of Destiny** . Fire knelt at his grave. “Blumen des Lebens, bewahre dieses Grab für alle Zeiten.” A patch of red roses sprung from the ground, it’s vines looping around the tombstone until Fire was assured they could not be removed. Standing, she began walking down the hill toward Jason’s birthplace. Boston straggled, allowing John to catch up to her. “You couldn’t have picked a better resting place for him.”

John shrugged. “Makes sense to end his life’s journey where it started.”

Fire chuckled. “Fitting for a knight like him.” They walked in silence for a while, the leisurely stroll helping to soothe them all after the hectic knight they had only two days ago. “Batman wants you, me and Boston to be a part of the Justice League.”

John raised a brow. “What did you two tell him?”

“Boston was gun-ho. Right Boston?” Fire asked the entity over her shoulder.

“Fuck yeah!” Boston shouted, finally floating next to the pair. “I’m ready to start kicking ass and taking names.”

Fire laughed. “And I’ve decided to take Jason’s place as their supernatural consultant and part-time antihero.” A pause. “I told him to put you on as a maybe.”

“What?!” John shouted, causing Boston and Fire to laugh hysterically. The House of Mystery appeared a few feet away, Orchid waiting at the open door for them. Boston and John walked ahead while Fire stopped at the foot of the steps. John noticed, stopping in the entrance of the house. “You comin’, love?”

At seeing the hope in his eyes, Fire had to look away.  “Why don’t go on without us, Boston? I need to show John something.”  She heard John descend the steps and the House  Waiting a few moments to try (and fail) to calm her racing heart. “Bringe uns zu meinem sterblichen Haus zurück.” In a flash of gold light, the duo was standing in Fire’s backyard. She walked over to the garden, kneeling in front of the sign kept up. John followed, standing behind Fire. The hybrid heard him gasp at the name written on it:  **Hope Constantine** . “This is why I left,” Fire said, nodding to the marker. “I didn’t even know I could get pregnant. No other hybrid before me was fertile, so we all assumed the same for me. When I came back without you in order to finish my book, I woke up in agony one evening. My parents felt my pain all the way from hell, and they found me screaming bloody murder. I don’t know who was more surprised that I was in labor. Father said she wouldn’t live long. Her heart was too big for this world.” By this time, Fire was crying silently. “I held her as she played with my fingers. I told her about you, about how much you would have spoiled her rotten. How much I loved my little Hope. She left us at dawn.” Fire felt John kneel next to her. “I’m so sorry, John. You’ve lost so much, and I left without any reason. I just couldn’t bear to see you in pain. She died in my arm, and I couldn’t bear to think about you―” Fire stopped talking when the tears became too much. She buried her face in her hands, muttering “I’m sorry” over and over again. 

“You have nothing to be sorry about, love,” John said, kneeling at her side. Fire looked up to see silent tears fall. “I just wish you had told me. Spent the last six years trying to figure out what I did to drive you away.”

Fire shook her head feverently. “You can be an ass sometimes, but you’ve always been good to me.” She launched herself at him, knocking him on his back with the force of her hug. “Doubt thou the stars are fire, doubt that the sun doth move. Doubt truth to be a liar, but never doubt I love,” Fire quoted. 

“O dear Fire, I am ill at these numbers. I have not art to reckon my groans, but that I love thee best, oh, most best, believe it,” John quoted back.

Fire kissed John’s cheek. “Do you forgive me?”

John chuckled, bringing a hand to the back of the hybrid’s neck. “There’s nothing to forgive, love,” he muttered, pulling her head down slowly until their lips met.

* * *

**5 MONTHS LATER:**

“What did you do?!” Bruce turned to the voice. Fire and John were standing next to the far wall, with the hybrid wearing a  [ burgundy dress ](https://images.windsorstore.com/images/products/1_290464_ZM_BURGUNDY.JPG) . “I mean, for fuck’s sake! It’s date night, you fucking assholes!!” 

John whistled lowly, leaning against the wall as he lit a cigarette. “You bastards are fucked,” he said.

Many of the demons that had invaded the Hall of Justice cowered in fear. But among a crowd of chickenshits are the fools with false confidence. “ **Just because you’re father is a scholar does not mean you are a warrior** ,” it mocked.

Fire’s eyebrows rose. “Really?”” Rolling her eyes, they became liquid gold. “ **_Spüren Sie den Zorn des Höllengelehrten._ ** ” She charged at the ones who dared to taunt her. It had Green Lantern by the neck, so Fire decided to break its arm before stabbing it with her claws. The rest were taken care of easily, as most fled back to Hell. The few that stayed were easily slaughtered. When she was done, she looked back at Bruce. “Seriously, did someone try to cheat them out of something?”

“Cursed doll,” Bruce said, pointing at the vintage blonde Barbie doll.

The demoness pinched the bridge of her nose. “And you didn’t call sooner because...?”

“Because it wasn’t supposed to be actually cursed!” Green Lantern shouted, running a hand through his light brown hair. “A little girl said she found it in her attic, and that it was threatening to hurt her baby brother. So I brought it here to make her feel comfortable, but then I did something and we were surrounded by demons!!”

John snorted. “Didn’t you tell your tights crew not to doubt supernatural causes?” he asks Bruce.

“Don’t blame him,” Fire chastised. “You’re talking to the people who have just found out there are different intelligent species in this universe, so let them wrap their heads around that before throwing demons and vampires at them.” Turning to Bruce, she held out her hand. Do you have a pen and paper?” Bruce walked over to a desk, grabbing what the demoness asked for. “Danke,” she thanked him.  **To Father, have fun with this cursed vintage Barbie doll. Love you** , she wrote on the paper, wrapping it around the doll. Tapping the floor three times, a portal to her bedroom opened underneath her. “Bye-bye,” she cheerily said, dropping the doll through the portal. Closing it the way she opened it, she looked back at Bruce. “Can I go on my date now?” Bruce nodded, which she saluted in understanding before dragging herself and John through a different portal, dropping them off in Munich. “Finally,” Fire groaned. 

“You said it, love,” John agreed, putting his cigarette out. “We still have about an hour and a half before we need to go to the restaurant. Want to walk through Englischer Garten?”

Fire laughed, offering her hand to her lover. “Definitely,” she said, linking their fingers together as they walked through the park. Though things would never be easy with being a demonic hybrid and a hellblazer, but this was still an amazing start to forever.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I would recommend watching the JLD movie to see what I didn't write. It's really good. As always, I use Google Translate for anything that isn't in English, so let me know if I got any German wrong.
> 
> Translations:  
> 1\. Mit dir weg! || Away with you!  
> 2\. Hilf uns Vater! || Help us Father!  
> 3\. Lassen Sie Ihre Schmerzen los. || Release your pain.   
> 4\. Halt die Hölle, kleiner Blazer. || Shut the hell up, little blazer.  
> 5\. Kehrt zur Grube zurück, von wo ihr gekommen seid! || Return to the pit from whence you came!  
> 6\. Löschen! || Extinguish!  
> 7\. “Zeigen Sie sich, Observatorium des Kosmos. || Show yourself, Observatory of the Cosmos.  
> 8\. Du wirst jetzt meinen Zorn fühlen. || You will now feel my wrath.  
> 9\. Ziel für Faust's Hals. || Aim for Faust's throat.  
> 10\. Mieten Sie meinen Körper. Hilf mein Herz. Bringe mir das sterbliche Flugzeug zurück, um das Schicksal zu bekämpfen. || Mend my body. Mend my heart. Return me to the mortal plane to fight Destiny.  
> 11\. Lasso der Wahrheit, halt deine Prinzessin. || Lasso of Truth, halt your princess.  
> 12\. Einfrieren, Kryptonian! || Freeze, Kryptonian!  
> 13\. Beruhige deinen tödlichen Schmerz. || Soothe thy mortal pain.  
> 14\. Blumen des Lebens, bewahre dieses Grab für alle Zeiten. || Flowers of life, guard this grave for all time.  
> 15\. Bringe uns zu meinem sterblichen Haus zurück. || Return us to my mortal home.  
> 16\. Spüren Sie den Zorn des Höllengelehrten. || Feel the wrath of the hell scholar.


End file.
